The present disclosure relates to a system and method for identifying products in a manufacturing production line.
Foods, medications, dietary supplements and other packaged products processed in a manufacturing facility are typically controlled to ensure consumer safety. The dangers in manufactured products include various forms of contamination and distribution of incorrect product. In some cases, when contamination of a product is identified, that particular product may have to be recalled and/or removed from production in order to ensure safety of those who consume the product. In addition, sometimes mismatched products that do not correspond to the product being processed on a production or packaging line may get mixed up with the product being processed or packaged, which can lead to errors in product deliveries to consumers.
In some cases, manufacturers can use computerized systems to identify the products on the production line based on an identification code such as a Universal Product Code (UPC). However, such computerized systems may rely on capturing a full UPC code or other identification markings in order to positively identify the product. In some instances where the products being processed on a manufacturing line have a uniform shape (e.g., rectangular) and orientation relative to a UPC detection device may be relatively uniform. However, a single manufacturing line in a production facility may process many types of products having a variety of packaging shapes that can result in various aspects and orientations of the packaging being presented to the UPC detection device, which can result in a partial UPC or no UPC being presented to the UPC detection device.